1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arrangement for the centralized supply of several friction points with an oil/air mixture, wherein several lubricant distributors are arranged in a row one behind the other in a bore of a housing having lubricant ducts and wherein the lubricant distributors are sealed from each other at least at the outside by means of sealing members against a transfer of the oil/air mixture.
2. Description of the Related Art
The arrangement mentioned above is intended especially for the centralized supply of the lubricating points of roll stands or wire trains. In such devices, several friction points, for example, the bearings and sealing members of the individual rolls in the case of a rolling train, are arranged spaced apart from each other and are to be supplied with lubricant. In the past, individual lines were provided from a central oil/air mixer to the friction points of the rolls. This was structurally cumbersome and also difficult to assemble. Most importantly, these supply lines had to be disassembled when the rolls had to be exchanged.
In order to avoid these disadvantages, it is also known in the art to arrange several lubricant distributors one behind the other in a bore of a housing, wherein the housing is part of a frame or the like containing the friction points, for example, the frame of a roll stand. Appropriate lubricant ducts which serve to conduct an oil/mixture to the bearing points and sealing members are provided in the housing. Such an oil/air mixture is composed of air in which oil is finely distributed.
The operation of the arrangement described above is satisfactory. However, the known arrangement has the disadvantage that the assembly and disassembly is complicated. The individual lubricant distributors must successively be introduced into the bore and, in case a repair is required, must successively be removed individually from the bore. This is cumbersome. In addition, there is the danger that, when the respective operating person is not careful, the prescribed sequence of the lubricant distributors is not adhered to during the assembly, i.e., when the lubricant distributors are introduced into the bore. An additional effort is required during the assembly to insert the sealing rings to be provided between the individual lubricant distributors and to ensure that these sealing rings assume the required position in which they provide a problem-free sealing action and that they are not damaged when they are moved past bores.